Myanmar court files charges against SuuKyi

A Myanmar court filed two more charges against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday, a lawyer acting for her said, as protesters marched in defiance of a crackdown by security forces that killed at least 18 people the previous day. Demonstrators flee from teargas canisters during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 28, 2021. Picture taken February 28, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

Suu Kyi looked well as she took part in a court hearing via video conferencing in the capital, Naypyitaw, and she asked to see her legal team, lawyer Min Min Soe told Reuters.

The leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) has not been seen in public since her government was ousted in a Feb. 1 military coup, when she was detained along with other party leaders.

“I saw A May on the video, she looks healthy,” the lawyer said, using an affectionate term that means “mother” to refer to Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi was initially charged with illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios. Later, a charge of violating a natural disaster law by breaching coronavirus protocols was added. On Monday, a charge was added under a section of the colonial-era penal code prohibiting the publication of information that may “cause fear or alarm” or disrupt “public tranquillity”, Min Min Soe said.

Another charge was added under a telecommunications law, the lawyer said, which stipulates equipment needs a licence. The next hearing will be on March 15. Myanmar has been in chaos since the military seized power after alleging fraud in a November election won by Suu Kyi’s NLD in a landslide.

As Suu Kyi appeared in the video conference court hearing, police in the main city of Yangon used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse protesters, witnesses said, a day after the worst violence since the coup. There were no immediate reports of any casualties on Monday but the previous day, police opened fire on crowds in various parts of the country killing 18 people, the U.N. human rights office said.

 “We have to continue the protest no matter what,” Thar Nge said by telephone after police firing tear gas forced him and others to abandon a barricade in a Yangon street. “This is my neighbourhood. It’s a lovely neighbourhood but now we’re hearing gunfire and we don’t feel safe at home.”

The military has not commented on Sunday’s violence and police and military spokesmen did not answer calls. Earlier, police with water cannon and military vehicles were mobilised at protest hotspots in Yangon as crowds gathered to chant slogans.